Watch: Staying alive in the water this summer

Water safety tips from lifeguards on how to avoid a tragedy at the pool

Parents with young children are being strongly encouraged by Ipswich City Council to be vigilant around water, especially at public pools and Orion Lagoon at Springfield Central.

By adopting a common sense approach and following a few simple tips the tragedy and heartache from drowning can be avoided.

The Royal Lifesaving Society also urged parents and carers to supervise children at all times around water.

An alarming 965 children aged four and under drowned in Australia between 1 July 1993 and 30 June 2018.

In the same period 52 per cent of drowning deaths occurred in swimming pools.

A lapse in adult supervision was a major risk factor in 100 per cent of toddler drowning deaths.

Importantly, safety messages apply to adults with children around any water, including lagoons, dams and rivers, that is: water is only safe when you keep watch and that looking at smart phones doesn’t make for smart parents.

Follow these tips to keep children safe from drowning –

Actively supervise by maintaining eye contact with children in and around water

Stay within arm’s reach of children five years and under

Teach water awareness

Learn how to resuscitate

Do not leave younger children in the care of older children

Ipswich City Council also reminds people that lifeguards at public pools and lagoons are not babysitters and that parental vgilance cannot be replaced.